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Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Revealed May 2010
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL1s
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Launched May 2014
  • Previous Model is Sony RX100 II
  • New Model is Sony RX100 IV
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony RX100 III, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and RX100 III (1") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL1 was revealed 5 years prior to the RX100 III which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-PL1 matches up against the RX100 III in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Sony RX100 III

 E-PL1 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Olympus E-PL1

 RX100 III E-PL1 
LaunchedMay 2014May 2010Newer by 48 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1229k230kSharper screen (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony RX100 III

 E-PL1 RX100 III 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 comes with physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 III has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") with a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony RX100 III in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the E-PL1 vs the RX100 III.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and RX100 III is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by checking out specifications. The picture underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and RX100 III.

Plainly, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 using its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Sony RX100 III will produce more detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Portrait photography camera
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
saves RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
65
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000 seconds)
MP count good (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography information
Sony RX100 III Street photography information
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
fixed screen
85
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (290g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography highlights
Sony RX100 III Sports photography highlights
44
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (290 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
66
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
features tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography information
Sony RX100 III Travel photography information
51
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse function
terrible battery (290 per charge)
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
86
lighter than competition in class (290 grams)
MP count good (20MP)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
decently wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Landscape photography camera
55
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (290 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
74
you can focus manually
decently wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging features
Sony RX100 III Vlogging features
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic support
81
decently wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (290 grams)
no external mic support
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2010-05-17 2014-05-15
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic V Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lb) 290 gr (0.64 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 54 67
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 22.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 12.3
DXO Low light rating 487 495
Other
Battery life 290 pictures 320 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $288 $748